As I haven't written in a while this shall be full of lots of things! Aren't you excited already?
We headed over to Tallinn once more, this time with my tutor group rather than people I've met where I'm staying. We only had a few hours over there and so I didn't head to the Old Town for more than 20 minutes at the end of the day. I stocked up on alcohol once more and also found a coat from Zara for 69€ which is like the £159 one I found in Nottingham...I obviously bought it. It's beautiful.
I've been making a lot of bread over the last week or so, it seems to be appreciated and people are willing tasters when I try something different (bacon and mushroom bread...delicious! Although my dough was a bit heavy as I had been guessing weights). Hopefully I'll acquire a bread tin soon and then I can make some actual loaf looking loaves and experiment a bit more.
As for academia, my Learning Agreement has been signed and sent off so all that is done! Erasmus grant should now be pending. I have also sent my Nottingham Essays back and now only have an essay in lieu of exam to complete, which I shall sit down to sometime this month. I have an exam in a month on Postcolonial literature, currently I have no idea how the exam is structured which is a bit disconcerting but I shall get in touch with the professor and see how much he can divulge. Lecture diaries have started for my Finnish Literature course and we must have an essay abstract by the end of this month so I need to start getting my thinking cap on. I also have to create a presentation with 2 others on a crime novel for next week so reading shall be intensive this week. As for the thinking cap - it has already been stretched by my Grammar module which you would think would come easily to an English student but it is something with which I am not wholly confident. I don't think many people back home would be actually, it's just something we have never truly looked at. Hopefully it will mean my analysis of texts will help and also improve my essay writing but who knows.
Enough of work though! Quite a number of us went out to Espoo and checked out Red Bull's Crashed Ice event, which is like BMX Cross in the Olympics or Snowboarder Cross, where 4 competitors skate down a tight winding track - rather aggressively at times. I wasn't sure what to expect but I felt like it wasn't 'pumped' up enough, especially considering they had their own DJ but we had a good time and got some great photos. And thank goodness as it took us 2 hours to get there...this is very odd however as it only took 25 to get back (not counting the time spent 'queueing', which was more like a mosh pit for Iron Maiden). Oh well.
I have also booked my Lapland trip, where I shall get to see the northern lights (I hope & pray)! I will also be husky sledding and taking part in a survival course...which may well be needed because I haven't really got clothes for the weather we'll be expecting.
A group of us also went to Turku, which was the old capital of Finland before the Russians moved it so it was closer to them than the Swedes. It was a pretty poor day weather wise and although the city was pretty there wasn't as much beauty in the architecture as we've seen other where. I did get to go to the Sibelius museum though. It was a very well put together museum and unfortunately we weren't there on a Wednesday where they put on live performances in their auditorium space. They have a great collection of musical instruments - from the very old to the new - and the specific space for Sibelius was lovingly put together with very well chosen quotes. Maybe more important for the student however was a recipe for quite an alcoholic punch.
The weather today has become negatively British. Dull. Damp. Nondescript temperature. I want it to be -8 and clear blue skies as it has been. Not this horribly warm 1 degree. I shall live in hope although I think the days are now getting longer and warmer...which isn't saying much considering the days were about 5 hours long when I got here.
In other news I have a friend who gets through a toothbrush a week. I thought people may appreciate the oddness of this. Sorry Daniel...but what do you do to your teeth!?
We headed over to Tallinn once more, this time with my tutor group rather than people I've met where I'm staying. We only had a few hours over there and so I didn't head to the Old Town for more than 20 minutes at the end of the day. I stocked up on alcohol once more and also found a coat from Zara for 69€ which is like the £159 one I found in Nottingham...I obviously bought it. It's beautiful.
I've been making a lot of bread over the last week or so, it seems to be appreciated and people are willing tasters when I try something different (bacon and mushroom bread...delicious! Although my dough was a bit heavy as I had been guessing weights). Hopefully I'll acquire a bread tin soon and then I can make some actual loaf looking loaves and experiment a bit more.
As for academia, my Learning Agreement has been signed and sent off so all that is done! Erasmus grant should now be pending. I have also sent my Nottingham Essays back and now only have an essay in lieu of exam to complete, which I shall sit down to sometime this month. I have an exam in a month on Postcolonial literature, currently I have no idea how the exam is structured which is a bit disconcerting but I shall get in touch with the professor and see how much he can divulge. Lecture diaries have started for my Finnish Literature course and we must have an essay abstract by the end of this month so I need to start getting my thinking cap on. I also have to create a presentation with 2 others on a crime novel for next week so reading shall be intensive this week. As for the thinking cap - it has already been stretched by my Grammar module which you would think would come easily to an English student but it is something with which I am not wholly confident. I don't think many people back home would be actually, it's just something we have never truly looked at. Hopefully it will mean my analysis of texts will help and also improve my essay writing but who knows.
Enough of work though! Quite a number of us went out to Espoo and checked out Red Bull's Crashed Ice event, which is like BMX Cross in the Olympics or Snowboarder Cross, where 4 competitors skate down a tight winding track - rather aggressively at times. I wasn't sure what to expect but I felt like it wasn't 'pumped' up enough, especially considering they had their own DJ but we had a good time and got some great photos. And thank goodness as it took us 2 hours to get there...this is very odd however as it only took 25 to get back (not counting the time spent 'queueing', which was more like a mosh pit for Iron Maiden). Oh well.
I have also booked my Lapland trip, where I shall get to see the northern lights (I hope & pray)! I will also be husky sledding and taking part in a survival course...which may well be needed because I haven't really got clothes for the weather we'll be expecting.
A group of us also went to Turku, which was the old capital of Finland before the Russians moved it so it was closer to them than the Swedes. It was a pretty poor day weather wise and although the city was pretty there wasn't as much beauty in the architecture as we've seen other where. I did get to go to the Sibelius museum though. It was a very well put together museum and unfortunately we weren't there on a Wednesday where they put on live performances in their auditorium space. They have a great collection of musical instruments - from the very old to the new - and the specific space for Sibelius was lovingly put together with very well chosen quotes. Maybe more important for the student however was a recipe for quite an alcoholic punch.
The weather today has become negatively British. Dull. Damp. Nondescript temperature. I want it to be -8 and clear blue skies as it has been. Not this horribly warm 1 degree. I shall live in hope although I think the days are now getting longer and warmer...which isn't saying much considering the days were about 5 hours long when I got here.
In other news I have a friend who gets through a toothbrush a week. I thought people may appreciate the oddness of this. Sorry Daniel...but what do you do to your teeth!?
My favourite photo from Turku
Walking across the water to some islands!
Fazer chocolate is delicious and this is the family's coffee shop. Everything in their looks incredible.
Harpsichord you are able to play at the Sibelius Museum
My first, quick, sketch in Finland. The Sleeping Kiwi
Bacon and Mushroom bread...tastes great but you can see the dough is too heavy
This is the petrol station round the corner. That snow is compacted and still an inch thick in places. They just do not grit in this place and if they do it's with gravel so that just gets frozen into all the snow and is useless!
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